Bead-chain.



W. J. GAGNON.

BEAD CHAIN.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 27. 1913.

LWMAQ@ l Patented lvm/.11,1913l UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J'. GAGNON, OF BRIDGEPOBT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRYANT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A. CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICU'T.

BEAD-CHAIN.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 27, 1913.

Patented Nov. 11, 1913.

Serial No. 770,260.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. GAGNON, a citizen of the United States ofy America, residing in the city of Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bead-Chains, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction and manufacture of chains of that class which are known as bead chains, and in which hollow balls are united together by links of approximately dumb-bell shape, the heads of each dumb-bell being inclosed within the hollows of adjacent balls.

The main object of my invention is to iinprove the 'construction of the chain and facilitate its manufacture.

The accomplishment of this object is secured essentially by constructing the dumbbell portion of the chain out of tubular material instead of solid wire, ashas been the common pract-ice heretofore.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of a tube from which the dumb-bell sections may be formed; Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a piece of such tubing with the dumb-bells formed thereon; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of a bead chain being constructed according to my invention.

The ordinary method of making bead chains consisting of hollow balls joined by dumb-bell links has been to shape a length of solid wire by swaging into the form of a series of connected dumb-bells and then to feed this inside a tube. of suitable diameter through a swaging machine, which would form the outer tube into the shape of connected balls, each ball inclosing a pair of adjacent dumb-bell heads on the inclosed formed wire, and then breaking apa-'rt the connected ballsand also breaking apart the connected dumb-bells.

The proper formation of the internal headed wire has always presented diieulties, requiring considerable manipulation in the swaging dies and requiring also much care to avoid forming of fins.

I have discovered that the production of a bead c hain can be greatly facilitated and substantially elo-sed links, free from fins,

can be obtained by forming the dumb-bell links from tubular material. For this purpose I form a tube of a diameter less than the desired diameter of the heads of the dumb-bells. This tube may be formed in any suitable way, as by drawing a ribbon of the desired metal through a drawing die to form a tube with longitudinal seam, such as indicated in the cross-sectional view, Fig. 1. Then, by means of suitable swaging dies, or otherwise, I shape the tube into the form of connected dumb-bells D, as illustrated in Fig. 2. In this operation, the tubular form of the material operated on facilitates the compressing action needed to form the practically closed slianksof the dumb-bells and the connections between adjacent dumb-bell heads, with the result that I am able to form the, material into the desired sha-pe easily and with comparatively few swaging actions and to produce substantially closed dumbbell forms smooth and free from fins on the exterior. Then the thus-formed -rod of dumb-bells, such as indicated in Fig. 2, with an exterior tube of a diameter equal to that of the desired balls, is fed through dies which shape the outer tube into the form of connected balls B over the pairs of dumbbell heads, as indicated at the left of Fig. 3, and thereafter the connected balls B are bro-ken apart, and the dumb-bell links D are also broken apart to form the chain, as indicated 'at the right of Fig. 3.

I am aware of British Patent 74.09 of 1905, and I do not claim anything therein disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

A bead chain consisting of hollow balls with connecting dumb-bell links of tubular material, with substantially closed Shanks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. GAGNON.

Witnesses: 

